Friday, December 23, 2011

I remember when this album crossed my desk in 1990. I took the entire staff into Production to listen. There are songs from this album, Every Christmas, that I can't locate on the intertubes, or I would have posted them all here.

If you ever want to hear a man share his soul's love for Christ and Christmas, this is the guy you want to do the job. It is not candy cane Christmas. It is a man's love for Christ. And through Christ, for men.

Christ was born to die for our sins. And he had the choice; and one who was willing to guide Him to make another choice. And at the penultimate it can be argued nearly made that choice. The Christmas Season is the beginning of the story of a man's life who has changed the world, and continues to change individuals on a daily basis.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you, thanks for sharing with me over the years.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

My fourth grade Sunday school teacher was a cellist. I fell in love with her immediately. If you attended Rose City Park Presbyterian in the early '60's, you know what I'm talking about.

The woman I lost my virginity to? A cellist.

There is something about the cello that is absolutely, no intersection of any members of any set, that applies to women who play the cello with any mordant characteristic of any type, figurative or literal.

This song is one of the most beautiful ever written. And now, you can listen to the product of that mind.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The paradigm of a dog's ability to lick its own private parts has been suggested as an aim for each and everyone of us.

"If you could do it, you'd do it, too."

Short-term pleasures have been able to supplant any idea of long-term investment. Even the trading floors have been, until recently, trading in the 9950 to 10950. 12150 is the new number. Nobody thinks this is a new floor. Markets are still trading, hoping for short-term gains in frequency; have you looked the the volatility index? None of this is new stuff. Our economy continues to shed long-term investment opportunities through start-ups and new investment, and yet the current administration is attempting to call its policies winners, since more people are leaving the market for employment.

To date, the information you can access is still out there. You can still find out what the U-3 level of employment is. It is abysmal. Our country's macro-economic policies are propping up companies like General Electric, and failing companies like Pete's Country Store. The difference is not only in scale, but in intent.

Today's screed by our elected Commander-in-Chief was the most hateful screed ever elicited from a national figure, outside of general world war. And the enemy? Any man or woman who lived, not for the betterment of the community, but, for the selfish pleasure to benefit him- or herself.

America. The Land of the Free. Home of the Brave. And now, we are told, those who seek only to improve their own life is an enemy of the State.

Fifty years ago, this would have been recognized for what it is; the advocacy of Socialism in America. Fifty years ago, the worst possible thing that could have happened, occurred; Albert Shanker. (2:24)

Now, we have a President who tells us, "Lick Your Balls!"

I'm busy, but I think, shouldn't we have a President who understands that licking one's own balls isn't productive, even though it would be--theoretically--pleasurable?